Abbotsford still waiting for funding to protect against a flooding disaster

Anxious. That’s how some residents of Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford were feeling after fields began flooding Sunday and water started seeping into basements.

Those floodwaters have since receded, but the Sumas River remains under a flood watch and another atmospheric river is expected to hit the South Coast.

”So much stress, everyone’s stressed,” said blueberry farmer Jaswant Dhillon, who is worried his young plants have been severely stressed by Sunday’s flooding.

Iqbal Brar, another blueberry farmer, said he’s relieved his fields are no longer flooded.

“But yesterday (was) so scary. I (did) not sleep,” Brar said.

The receding waters are evidence the Barrowtown pump station is doing its job, according to Abbotsford’s mayor.

“What our concern is, of course, we have no control over atmospheric rivers and how they hit,” said Mayor Ross Siemens.

The Sumas River, earlier under a flood warning, is now under a flood watch. On Tuesday, crews were clearing debris from the river to keep the water moving.

“We feel that we are in better shape than 2021, but we’re not anywhere where we need to be for me to sleep well at night,” Siemens said, explaining the city is still waiting to hear back on a request for $1.6 billion in federal funding for much-needed upgrades to protect against another disaster like the floods of November 2021.

He said protecting Abbotsford should be seen as a national priority, noting that Abbotsford farms play a vital role in food security and that Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley is critical to the transportation of goods.

In Ottawa, Premier David Eby said he is having conversations with the federal government about critical infrastructure, including the highway through the Fraser Valley.

“We do want to see the federal government show up at the table to make real their commitments around this area,” the premier said.

For its part, the province says it’s provided more than $102 million to date to support Abbotsford.

This includes $8.48 million for 10 flood recovery projects, including $3.2 million for upgrades to the Barrowtown pump station, which includes design and construction of a flood wall to protect the station.

"People in Abbotsford and the Sumas Prairie were understandably anxious over the weekend,” said Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, in a statement to CTV News.

“My ministry worked closely with the City of Abbotsford and Semá:th First Nation to ensure they had the resources and tools they needed to keep people safe and infrastructure protected,” the statement read.

Her ministry said it is committed to continue its work with Abbotsford to assist in recovery and resiliency.